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COTTON SPINNING. 



Cotton 

 Spinning. 



Mule Spinning. 



The preparation machinery in this species of spinnings 

 as has already been observed, is the same as that of water 

 spinning. Mule yarn differs in this respect from water 

 twist, that in the operation of spinning the former, an ad- 

 ditional elementary process is introduced, namely, that of 

 stretching, which takes place after it has been drawn by 

 the rollers. The effect of this stretching is twofold ; it 

 makes the yarn finer than it would be by drawing alone, 

 and it causes the yarn to be more even : for those parts of 

 the thread which are of the greatest diameter, as deliver- 

 ed by the rollers, receive less of the twine from the spin- 

 dles than the smaller places, and consequently the larger 

 yield more easily in stretching ; meanwhile, the twine 

 becomes more equally diffused over the whole thread. 

 But the great advantage which the mule has over the 

 water-frame, is in producing much finer yarn than is pos- 

 sible by the latter machine. The principal reason seems 

 to be, that, in the water-frame, the yarn must have suf- 

 ficient strength to drag the bobbins ; whereas, in the 

 mule no bobbins are used, and the yarn is built on the 

 spindles in such a manner as to throw little or no stress 

 on the yarn. 



The rollers for reducing or drawing the raving in the 

 mule are similar to those of the throstle, a number of 

 heads being coupled together. The spindles (of which 

 there are now usually about 300 in one mule) are like 

 those of the common jenny, having neither bobbins nor 

 flyers. They are disposed and revolve on a carriage, 

 which recedes from the rollers, while the thread is deli- 

 vering. 



For many years the mule was worked entirely by 

 hand ; but now the whole of its operations, excepting 

 the returning of the carriage, and the building the thread 

 on the spindles, is performed by power. We shall, as 

 in other occasions, confine our attention principally to 

 trace the progress of a single thread. 

 Plate In Fig. 8. A represents a roving placed in a frame 



CCXIV. behind the drawing rollers CDE. After passing from 

 *"'£• 8 * between the rollers, the reduced roving goes on to the 

 spindle F, which is placed a little inclining. The spin- 

 dles are disposed on the carriage FGHI. 



The machine being put in motion, the carriage re- 

 cedes as fast as the rollers deliver the reduced roving; 

 the spindles at the same time rapidly revolving, giving 

 sufficient twist to the yarn to bear stretching. After the 

 rollers have delivered a certain length (a yard, for ex- 

 ample) of yarn thus partially twisted, they stop, but the 

 carriage continues to recede, (half a yard further, for ex- 

 ample) and the spindles to revolve. The yarn is thus 

 stretched, and forms a fair even thread. In order to save 

 time, the spindles move more rapidly during the process 

 of stretching. The mechanism, by means of which this 

 increased rapidity is effected, is called the double-speed. 



The yarn being sufficiently hard twisted, the machine 

 disengages itself from the rest of the moving parts of 

 the mule. The attendant then returns the carriage home 

 to the rollers. With one hand he manages the fly-wheel, 

 and by it the movement of the spindles; while, with the 

 other, he directs the wire a of the folder a b, (which 

 turns on a pivot at b,) so as to build the thread on the 

 spindle in a conical form, denominated a cop. 



The spinner, from habit, communicates the motion of 

 4hc handle, so as to keep the threads always at that de- 

 gree of tension, which, without injuring the thread, will 

 make the cop firm and compact. 



These several operations being repeated until each of Cottdn 

 the spindles has a cop on it of a proper bulk, they are Spmniug. 

 then taken off to be reeled, which is done in the same i - "-' 



manner as we have already described of the water-twist. 

 The cops, indeed, are often used without being reeled, 

 particularly for weft ; and, on other occasions, the yarn 

 for warp is wound off the cop immediately on the warp- 

 ing bobbins. 



The Stretching Frame. 



We already observed, that the rovings for mules com- Stretching 

 monly receive their last reduction previously to the spin- frame, 

 ning, on what is called the stretching frame. The con- 

 struction of this machine, excepting in its proportions, 

 is the same as the mule. The spindles, in order to 

 give room for larger cops, are more distant from each 

 other. 



But although its construction be the same as the mule, 

 its operation is different, in as far as it does not stretch 

 in the sense to which we have confined that word, but 

 merely reduces the rove by the process of drawing by 

 means of the rollers. 



Having thus attempted a description of what is called Description 

 the small machinery of cotton-mills, we shall say a little of the 

 with regard to the mill-work, or great gear, and the buildings, 

 buildings which contain the whole, beginning with those c ' 

 for spinning water-twist. 



This species of yarn, as already observed, is spun for 

 the most part in those situations, where there is water 

 sufficient for driving the machinery. 



The buildings are usually five or six stories high, and 

 from 28 to 33 feet wide. Their length depends much 

 on the number of spinning frames contained in one floor. 



A large water-wheel is usually placed in the middle of 

 the lower part of the building. In some cases, strong 

 lying-shafts convey the motion from rings of teeth at- 

 tached to the water-wheel, to each end of the ground- 

 floor. These lying-shafts give motion to an upright 

 shaft, opposite the abutment of each window ; and the 

 whole is supported in the lower story by strong fra- 

 ming, independent of the wooden floors, so that much 

 of the tremour of the great gear is thus confined to 

 the framing. The upright shafts passing up through the 

 spinning rooms, have a drum opposite to every two 

 spinning flames, to which, by a leathern belt, it gives 

 motion. A few of the upright shafts are continued up 

 to the carding rooms, and give motion there to the pre- 

 paratien machinery. 



In other cases, the water-wheel, having teeth on it, 

 moves two strong upright shafts, conveying the mo- 

 tion to the stories above ; and, from crown-wheels on 

 them, lying-shafts are worked, that conv«y mot'on to 

 the drum-shafts in the spinning rooms, and other lying- 

 shafts to the preparation machinery. In the first of 

 these cases, the stair is usually placed at one end of the 

 building ; in the second, in the middle. This last ar- 

 rangement is most generally adopted. 



In order to prevent the risk of fire, it is usual to con- 

 duct in out-houses all the business which does not re- 

 quire machinery worked by power; and. some even pre- 

 fer, on that account, to have the preparation machinery 

 in a separate building. 



To describe more particularly the many ingenious con- 

 trivances in the construction of mill-work and buildings 

 of an extensive set of cotton works, would exceed the li- 

 mits which we have assigned to this article. ( O) 

 1 



